An organ donor register site has denied offering payment for donations as it dismissed a watchdog's warnings as "scaremongering".

Organtree insisted allegations made by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) are "untrue" after the regulator issued a warning for people considering registering with services other than the NHS's Organ Donor Register.

The HTA, which regulates the donation of organs from living people across the UK, said the organisation encourages "recipients and donor families to reach financial arrangements" and suggested people registering with Organtree or similar organisations "are likely to be breaking the law".

But Organtree said in a statement: "These serious allegations are untrue and amount to scaremongering of the worst sort."

It denied receiving payment for registration or any organ donation, explaining its role is to provide a platform for would-be donors to register their interest in having their organs used after they die.

The statement adds: "It is acknowledged and accepted that offering a reward is illegal but receiving expenses associated with the death of a loved one is not.